Yampa Valley Arts & Culture Guide, Vol. 19, Ed. 2
03/02/2026 02:00PM ● By Deb Olsen
"Monarch," Adam Zabel, 38 x 28
Swimming off the beach, catching fish and cooking them around the fire, camping under the stars – Routt County artist Adam Zabel spent his childhood summers with his grandpa on the Mississippi River, in a fashion reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.
Those memorable experiences inform his work today. “That’s where I started drawing – out in nature,” Adam says. “It was a time of being completely free.”
The son of a minister, Adam and his family moved frequently, from west Texas to Colorado Springs and eventually to Steamboat Springs, near his great-uncle, nationally known sculptor Curtis Zabel. Adam attended seven different high schools, where he caught his teachers’ eyes and achieved early recognition for his art. He met congressmen, won scholarships and displayed his work at the state Capitol.
Following high school, Adam’s life took a dramatic turn. He joined the Army, eager to become a soldier, although things didn’t quite go as planned. He spent a year in Korea, rather than the Middle East. At the time, he perceived his assignment as a disappointment. Now, he says, “I was very fortunate not to go to Desert Storm.”
The Army, recognizing his talent, assigned him to create murals for the motor pool at Fort Knox, Kentucky. This is where Adam won his first national art competition, with the Colored Pencil Society of America.
Although he still works in pencil, he is most renowned for his works in oil. “Oil painting loosened me,” he says.
His subject matter is diverse, ranging from portraits to wildlife, from landscapes to illustrations. “I love anything to do with art,” Adam says. “I love wildlife. Any living thing, really. I love how they move through the world. It gives you hope to see the beauty in life – how rare it is.”
Adam’s work, “The Monarch,” which graces the cover of this edition of the “Yampa Valley Arts & Culture Guide,” illustrates his sentiment. The horse is eyeing a butterfly, hovering just in front of her nose. “I included the monarch butterfly because it’s rare. We see less and less of them,” Adam explains.
The butterfly is not the only monarch in the piece. The horse is the lead mare at Adam’s wife’s family ranch in Georgia. “She’s a sassy one,” Adam says. “I liked her attitude.”
“The Monarch” was created for the Oil Painters of America exhibit at the Steamboat Art Museum four years ago. The OPA exhibit returns to SAM this summer, Friday, May 29-Saturday, Aug. 29.
Adam is represented locally by the Wild Horse Gallery. Gallery owner Rich Galusha, whom Adam cites as one of his mentors, sees an exciting future for the young artist. “I think he’s just going to keep getting better and better,” Rich says.
To see more of Adam’s work, stop by the Wild Horse Gallery, 802 Lincoln Ave., downtown Steamboat Springs, or visit www.zabelart.com.
Swimming off the beach, catching fish and cooking them around the fire, camping under the stars – Routt County artist Adam Zabel spent his childhood summers with his grandpa on the Mississippi River, in a fashion reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.
Those memorable experiences inform his work today. “That’s where I started drawing – out in nature,” Adam says. “It was a time of being completely free.”
The son of a minister, Adam and his family moved frequently, from west Texas to Colorado Springs and eventually to Steamboat Springs, near his great-uncle, nationally known sculptor Curtis Zabel. Adam attended seven different high schools, where he caught his teachers’ eyes and achieved early recognition for his art. He met congressmen, won scholarships and displayed his work at the state Capitol.
Following high school, Adam’s life took a dramatic turn. He joined the Army, eager to become a soldier, although things didn’t quite go as planned. He spent a year in Korea, rather than the Middle East. At the time, he perceived his assignment as a disappointment. Now, he says, “I was very fortunate not to go to Desert Storm.”
The Army, recognizing his talent, assigned him to create murals for the motor pool at Fort Knox, Kentucky. This is where Adam won his first national art competition, with the Colored Pencil Society of America.
Although he still works in pencil, he is most renowned for his works in oil. “Oil painting loosened me,” he says.
His subject matter is diverse, ranging from portraits to wildlife, from landscapes to illustrations. “I love anything to do with art,” Adam says. “I love wildlife. Any living thing, really. I love how they move through the world. It gives you hope to see the beauty in life – how rare it is.”
Adam’s work, “The Monarch,” which graces the cover of this edition of the “Yampa Valley Arts & Culture Guide,” illustrates his sentiment. The horse is eyeing a butterfly, hovering just in front of her nose. “I included the monarch butterfly because it’s rare. We see less and less of them,” Adam explains.
The butterfly is not the only monarch in the piece. The horse is the lead mare at Adam’s wife’s family ranch in Georgia. “She’s a sassy one,” Adam says. “I liked her attitude.”
“The Monarch” was created for the Oil Painters of America exhibit at the Steamboat Art Museum four years ago. The OPA exhibit returns to SAM this summer, Friday, May 29-Saturday, Aug. 29.
Adam is represented locally by the Wild Horse Gallery. Gallery owner Rich Galusha, whom Adam cites as one of his mentors, sees an exciting future for the young artist. “I think he’s just going to keep getting better and better,” Rich says.
To see more of Adam’s work, stop by the Wild Horse Gallery, 802 Lincoln Ave., downtown Steamboat Springs, or visit www.zabelart.com.